20161216 (disturbing thoughts)

Rick Blaine said he was in Casablanca "for the waters."

Unless you have an extremely

Absorbing occupation which

Requires your attention every

Moment you probably have

Spent some time thinking, “OK,

Now what the hell is going to

Happen?” Even supposing 

You’re among the blessedly

Immersed there’s always those

Sleeping visions that reveal 

Hidden concerns you can’t 

Consciously identify at first. 

Not to suggest anything in 

Particular but crashing airplanes

Might mean something is 

Bothering you—unless you

Work for the FAA as an air

Traffic controller—who I

Presume have such dreams 

Nightly anyway. Maybe four

Years of calendars igniting is

The less direct path your

Sub-mind might take. Dreams

Of brown-shirted men in 

Jackboots knocking on your

Office door could be too explicit.

A mailman turning you in for 

Receiving letters from the 

ACLU seeking a year-end 

Special donation? To whom 

Would they turn you in? Why

The national registry, of course,

Just in case the NSA somehow

Overlooked you as they read

Your search history. Maybe a

Dream about people watching 

You as you meander through

The stacks looking for books 

About Eugene V. Debs or by

Howard Zinn? Did you ever

Tell anyone, “No purpose for

This fucking war”? That’d

Be cause for alarm. What groups

Did you give money to and cite 

As charitable donations? Ever

March on Washington for peace?

Did they get pictures of you

Clearly holding a sign that read,

“Stop the Wars!” or “No US 

Taxpayer Dollars For Illegal 

Israeli Settlements On Palestinian

Land!” or “Free Chelsea Manning!” 

Or “Free Jeffrey Sterling!” or

“Pardon Edward Snowden!” 

Or “Stop Prosecuting Heroes!”

Were you at that meeting 

About accepting many more

Thousands of Syrian refugees?

No wonder you can’t sleep, or

If you do, why you have those

Dreams. Just like out of 1940s

Hollywood. You’re prime!

c. J.S.Manista, 2016